Successful Georgian Abroad: Interview with WHO’s Dr Tea Collins

INTERVIEW

Dr Tea Collins is the name of one of the many successful Georgians abroad that you should know. Holding a Doctorate in Global Health from the George Washington University, as well as a Master’s in Public Health from Boston University and a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, Dr. Collins is now the Advisor at the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Non-communicable Disease Platform in the Office of the WHO Deputy Director-General. In an interview with GEORGIA TODAY, Dr. Collins talks loudly and proudly of her Georgian past, and European present. Read on to find out what she has to say about the novel coronavirus, the unity of the world and keys to success.

Tell us about your current job and responsibilities at WHO.

First of all, I would like to thank you, Nini, and Georgia Today for the opportunity to do this interview. I am truly honored to share my life experiences with my fellow countrymen.

I work at the World Health Organization (WHO), which is a UN specialized agency headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. I am an Advisor in a department called the Global NCD Platform, which is under the office of the WHO Deputy Director-General.

Broadly speaking, the purpose of my job is to make sure we address the burden of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and mental disorders. Our aim is to help reduce NCDs and the premature deaths that they cause.

In practical terms, this entails my daily interaction with many different people around the world, including the six regions of WHO, other UN institutions, academia, civil society organizations, and the private sector, which is comprised of food and beverage companies, the pharmaceutical industry, sports and wellness corporations and other companies, plus the news media. We all work together to try to reduce the main risk factors in NCDs, such as tobacco smoke, harmful use of alcohol, lack of physical activity, poor diets, and environmental pollution.

Tell us your story and about the steps you had to take to reach your position in the world’s most respectable and powerful organization in the field?

I grew up in Soviet Georgia, so at that time clearly I could not dream of having a career outside my native country. But looking back, I can see now that the choices I made, the steps I took, naturally landed me where I am now. For example, my mother felt that the future was English, so she enrolled me in a school of intensified English learning, School No 47, even though I had a long commute. This turned out to be an excellent, I would say even a strategic, choice, since fluency in English certainly opened a lot of doors, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This sounds like a no-brainer today, but back then, in the 1970s and 1980s, there was neither real pressure nor need to learn English to advance your career, and I am inherently grateful to my amazing English teacher, Nelly Bostashvili, who was an inspiration to me, and I did not want to disappoint her.

I also think that political processes in Georgia have influenced my career choices to a great extent. Ever since I was small I wanted to be a physician. My grandmother was a paediatrician, and I remember going to the clinic where she worked and being fascinated by the environment there. It was a children’s polyclinic in a beautiful old building in Tbilisi, on what is now Freedom Square. I remember the impressive large staircase leading to the clinic, the big French windows, doctors and nurses walking in white coats, mothers patiently waiting with their babies to be seen by a doctor, and the smell of iodine. This was mesmerizing. I knew that I had to study hard to get a gold medal, which would maximize my chance of getting into a medical school.

Then the nineties came, with political turmoil, demonstrations, declaration of Georgia’s independence, the collapse of the Soviet Union, war in Abkhazia, internal displacement, war in Tbilisi, mass unemployment, and no prospects. I remember arriving at the hospital where I worked at that time and discovering displaced families from Abkhazia taking refuge there. These were devastating times, but then an opportunity came, where my knowledge of English and computers came in handy. The World Bank came to Georgia to assist the Georgian Government to restructure the whole healthcare system. They were looking for a physician who was fluent in English and who could work with the foreign consultants to implement the Georgian health system reforms, and I had the privilege to start working there.

It was really a turning point in my career, and I knew there was no going back. I went to the USA, where I received my master’s in Global Health. I returned to Georgia and worked with Save the Children to help internally displaced populations, then returned to the USA to get a doctoral degree in global health at the George Washington University. My dissertation was on access to healthcare services for the displaced women of Georgia. Finally, one of the nicest things about getting my doctorate in the USA was meeting my husband, an American. We now have a wonderful daughter with him.

In 2009, I was offered a job in Geneva, and my family and I moved to Switzerland. I have been there ever since, except for a brief time working with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna to support a program strengthening cancer therapy. I joined WHO in 2016.

Tell us about your family and life in Switzerland. Georgia is often compared to Switzerland because of the mountains and the climate. What would you say about this comparison?

Yes, Switzerland is a beautiful country, like Georgia, and there are many places here where even a Georgian person cannot tell the difference. My family and I visited a town called Sion, which is well known for the 13th-century Tourbillon Castle ruins and the Valère Castle complex. The castles bear a striking resemblance to the Georgian castles, and when we got on the top of the hill and looked down, I was amazed to see what looked like our Svaneti towers. It was an incredible experience and showed how small our world really is and how related we all are.

Born in the Soviet Union, How did you manage to break through the “Iron Curtain” of soviet and post-soviet mentality?

This is an interesting question. Since I grew up in the 70s and 80s, I certainly did not experience the horrors of the early years of the Soviet Union. My childhood in Georgia was bright, safe and predetermined. The career choices were limited and clear, it was unimaginable to have a life outside the Soviet Union. However, as I said before, learning English helped me overcome the barriers created by the political upheaval. Receiving an education in the United States helped me become a global citizen, which is relevant in any country I go. Living in the United States and Europe has definitely broadened my horizons and helped me appreciate the good that exists everywhere.

How does WHO assess Georgia’s current situation in public health? Is the Georgian Government actively involved in WHO campaigns?

It is concerning that 93% of deaths annually in Georgia are from NCDs. Unfortunately, our nation smokes, drinks alcohol and enjoys a diet rich in fat and carbohydrates, and there is a lot of work to do in terms of promoting healthy lifestyles and physical activity.

The Georgian government is very actively participating in the work of the United Nations and particularly of WHO. As an example, Georgia was a co-facilitator, together with Thailand, of the United Nations General Assembly High-level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage, which took place in New York in 2019.

The new coronavirus has been declared a “global health emergency” by WHO. We have had five other “global health emergencies” with Ebola in 2014 and 2019, Zika in 2016, Polio in 2014, and the Swine flu in 2009. Compared to these other public health emergencies, what threats is the world facing today with COVID-19?

The good news is that the coronavirus or COVID-19 appears less deadly than the other viruses you mentioned. But it is spreading, and it is important that we take measures at every level, starting with individual behaviours, such as simple handwashing and wearing a mask if infected. Times like these show the need for international cooperation. Viruses do not respect borders or political systems. It is important that all countries strengthen their disease surveillance systems and provide timely data to WHO to ensure coherent action. I am optimistic that the virus will be contained shortly.

What are some major projects of WHO? Any in particular that involve Georgia?

WHO’s current program of work stresses the need for ensuring that all countries provide universal health coverage for their populations, protect them from emergencies, and improve overall health and wellbeing. This is a broad agenda, but relevant in every WHO Member State.

Georgia belongs to the WHO European Region, and there is also a WHO country office in Tbilisi that takes care of Georgian projects. Having said that, I am certainly always looking for opportunities to engage Georgia in WHO initiatives.

Your current standing in life makes you an empowering woman. Would you share some advice for aspiring young girls in Georgia who now only dream of your reality?

That’s very kind of you to say. I believe that everyone has to carve their own path, based on their abilities, inspirations and talent. What works for one may not work for others, but one thing for me is clear: If you have a dream, you need to work hard and have patience to wait and the flexibility to constantly keep adjusting your expectations as circumstances change. With time, your dreams may evolve and change, and you will change, too, but the hard work will always pay off and you may end up somewhere you could not even dream of.

By Nini Dakhundaridze